I Think I Am Becoming An Audiophile

I dunno Eric.  If the newbie were a metal head or a progressive rocker, I actually would start them off with something noisy, aggressive and probably Russian, like Pictures at an Exhibition, Petrushka  or the Overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla.  If they're into jazz, maybe Debussy or Ravel.  If they only listen to Johnny Cash or the Drive-by Truckers, I'd be at a loss.

Yeah, the quest for realism and good sound quality can be a prime motivation for experimenting with new genres.  Wait'll you get to opera,  Off-stage choruses.  Crowd scenes.  Singers wandering forward, backward, left and right across the soundstage.  Footsteps and slaps across faces. 

Artemus -- I bet there are lots of London/Decca and EMI/HMV/Angel records in your pile. Both labels are chock full of the finest opera recordings in existence.

The only difference between London and Decca is the name on the label, as the British Decca company was unable to use "Decca" in the USA because of rights restraints. Otherwise, they are the same LPs from the same first rate pressing plants.

Meanwhile, EMI (Electrical and Musical Industries) marketed LPs both under its own name and under the moniker HMV (His Master’s Voice). The thing is, the company couldn’t use either the name HMV or its logo of a dog dutifully listening to an old gramophone because these were owned in the USA by RCA. Because of this, EMI released their performances in the US on a label they named Angel Records. Sure, all this shouldn’t make a difference...except for the fact that Angel Records were pressed in the USA and were often (but not always!) pretty terrible.

I’ll cut to the chase. If you got these two albums, give ’em a spin: First, Puccini’s Turandot conducted by Zubin Mehta, featuring Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland. On London/Decca. Side one is outstanding. Side two is even better. Great tunes, great voices and great recording. Enough energy, passion & drama to launch a thousand ships.

Second, Mozart’s Le Nozze de Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) on EMI, conducted by Vittorio Gui. Lovely, gracious, and funny. The recording is pure Blumlein, i.e., done with a single pair of crossed figure-8 microphones. A veritable stereo test record for three-dimensionality and soundstaging.

artemus_5 --
If there's a Carmen in the collection (composer Georges Bizet), pull it out and begin on side one.  Carmen is the opera that launched my love for the genre.  Great tunes...and not just the ones you might be familiar with.  High Emotions.  Unruly crowds that sometimes seem to be wanting to murder the stars.  Will nerdy soldier Don Jose be a mensch and marry the sweet-voiced girl he left behind or will he live dangerously and let the sultry Carmen get her hooks into him?  Meantime, the town's imperious Matador also has his eye on Carmen and, in general, just enjoys throwing his weight around.  The proverbial chaos ensues. The version I have is on DGG (conducted by Claudio Abbado and featuring Placido Domingo), and it suffers from that slight metallic feel that afflicts the label.  Nevertheless, the sound is still excellent, and there's no denying the sheer oomph that these six sides convey.

artemus -- excellent!